The Cutest Bum on the Block...

Definitely belongs to my baby girl! In honor of Earth Day (April 22) I decided to do a post on cloth diapers. It is truly astonishing how many diapers a child goes through during the course of their early life. It is even more astonishing and disturbing how much trash those diapers produce. I started using cloth diapers when my first child was born. I was new to cloth diapering, but really wanted to try it. I did it off and on for about two years, alternating between disposables and cloth diapers. I did the same thing with my second child. It wasn't until my third that I found the perfect cloth diaper. And I can say that I now use them about 95% of the time.

If you have ever looked into cloth diapering it can be a little overwhelming. And if you don't choose the right diaper, then chances are your experience with cloth diapering isn't going to be a positive one. The two types of cloth diapers that I use are prefolds with a Bummis diaper cover and bumGenius All-In-Ones. Both are great cloth diapers, but there are pros and cons to each.

Prefolds
I bought these when I was new to cloth diapering. They are a little more work than the All-In-Ones (AIO), but are a very good quality cloth diaper. Here are a few pros and cons to using the prefolds:
Pros - more absorbent than the AIO and less expensive than the AIO
Cons - much bulkier than the AIO and you have to use a diaper cover (one more added step)
It is very important to buy a good diaper cover when using the prefolds. When I first started cloth diapering I bought cheap covers and it made cloth diapering very difficult! Since then I always buy Bummis diaper covers. Also, I am still using the original prefolds that I bought with my first child. I have never had to buy new ones!

All-In-Ones
I absolutely love the All-In-Ones! These are what I was talking about when I said I found the perfect cloth diaper. They are super easy to use, just like a disposable, only they're cloth. And they come in the most fabulous colors!! I have had so much fun diapering my little one's bum! Here are a few pros and cons to using the All-In-Ones:
Pros - less bulky than the prefold, EASY to use (only 1 step), and super cute
Cons - Not as absorbent as the prefolds (tend to leak a little more) and more expensive
Because I have the prefolds from my first two children, I still use them, along with the All-In-Ones, of course. I like having two different types to choose from and they both work great! I usually launder them every 2 to 3 days and I never find myself without any clean diapers. Being that I already do so much laundry, one more load every couple of days is not a big deal. Somedays I line dry them, but usually I just throw them in the dryer. And I have to say that it is really nice to be able to go to the store and pass right by the diaper section and not have to purchase any.

If you are at all interested in cloth diapering (or know someone who is) I highly recommend using http://www.comfybummy.com/ . I have always used them for all of my cloth diapering needs. They provide great customer service as well as great products. Right now they are running a special until May 31. You get one free bumGenius All-In-One Diaper (which are the ones I use on my baby - see pics below) with a $10 purchase of any bumGenius, Flip, or Econobum products. There is no coupon code. In the comments section at check-out, just write the size you need and your top two color choices for your free All-In-One. I definitely took advantage of this special offer! There is no advertisment regarding this special on their website (at least I couldn't find one). I received the special via e-mail. If you are considering cloth diapers for your little one, now might be a good time to try one of the bumGenius All-In-Ones and see how you like it. I don't think you'll be disappointed. :)

Okay, enough about the cloth diapers. Here are a few pics of the cutest bum on the block...

The $50 Cupcake

The other day I was flipping through a Williams Sonoma catalog when I stumbled across their Mini Spring Cupcakes (24 mini cupcakes for $49.95). Sure, the cupcakes look adorable and scrumptious but do they really taste that good? Of course, I am not going to order these cupcakes and find out. Instead, I decided to make my own version of these very expensive cupcakes. I call them the $50 cupcake. The WS selection of cupcakes come in vanilla, chocolate or lemon. I opted to make the lemon, since I've never made lemon cupcakes before. For the frosting, I decided to try a lemon cream. If you love lemon, this cupcake is for you. It was very lemony! My kids loved the cupcake part, but not the frosting. And my husband loved both the cupcake and the frosting. I usually make everything with buttercream so I think this was a nice change. But, like I said, it was very lemony!

For the cupcake I used Betty Crocker Lemon cake mix.

Lemon Cream Frosting
3 tablespoons butter, softened
2 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 to 2 tablespoons milk or water (I used water so I wouldn't have to refrigerate the cupcakes)
Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the lemon juice, vanilla, lemon peel and water; beat until smooth. Frost your cupcakes as desired. I used Wilton tip 12 to frost mine. You will need to double this recipe if you plan on frosting all of your cupcakes. I was only able to frost half of them. I just put the remanining cupcakes in the freezer (in a covered plastic container). After frosting my cupcakes, I then added a premade flower (which I purchased at a local grocery store) to each one. I think they look fairly similiar to the WS Mini Spring Cupcakes, but for a fraction of the price...and they taste good too!

What to do with all those eggs...

If your house is anything like mine this time of year, we have plastic eggs all over! I find them under beds, in drawers, on the floor, under the couch, pretty much everywhere I look. The kids can't get enough of them and I can't stand them. Here are a few useful and educational ways in which to put those eggs to use...after the egg hunt, of course.

Easter Egg Math
Label 6 or 12 plastic eggs with different math facts. Inside each egg place a paper slip that shows the answer. Also write each answer in one cup of a 6 or 12 cup egg carton. Store the plastic eggs in a basket. Have your child select an egg from the basket, read the fact, determine the answer, and set the egg in the corresponding cup of the egg carton. When all the eggs are sorted, he/she cracks open each one to check his work. You can modify this activity to meet your childs individual needs.

Letter and Number Matching

On one side of the plastic egg, write an uppercase letter and on the other side, write the corresponding lowercase letter. Mismatch the eggs by putting them together with different letters and place them in a basket. Have your child match the eggs correctly by taking the eggs apart and putting them back together with the uppercase and lowercase letters matching. You can also do this with number matching. On one side of the egg write a number and on the other side write the corresponding number of units. Mix them up and let your child put the eggs back together correctly. For my kids, I mixed up the number eggs and alphabet eggs altogether, to make it more challenging. Then they had to sort them and then match correctly.

Word Families

To review word families, on one side of the egg write various consonants. On the other side of the egg write a word family (i.e. op, at, et). Your child can practice reading the different words by turning the egg with the consonants on it. This is a great way for young readers to increase their fluency with all the different word families.

Stained Glass Easter Eggs

This is a fun and pretty decoration to make for Easter. Here's what you need:

Clear contact paper (can be purchased at Wal-Mart or Target)
Colored tissue paper, cut into little squares

1. Cut out two squares from your contact paper (make sure they are roughly the same size). Depending on the size you want your egg to be, the size of your sqaure will be determined by you. I made mine 4"x4".
2. On one of the squares trace or draw the shape of your egg with a pencil, on the clear side. Peel off backing and place tissue paper squares onto the sticky side, staying inside your egg outline.
3. When finished with the tissue paper, take your other contact paper square (the one that is blank) and peel off backing and place on top of your egg, sticky side down.
4. Using scissors, cut out your egg by following your pencil outline.

Now you have a lovely stained glass Easter egg! I have done this activity with my kids and my oldest one enjoyed it the most. Working with the contact paper can be a little tricky since it's so sticky, but with adult help it shouldn't be a problem. We have also done this for other holidays. We hang them in our windows and they look really pretty and festive!